Rewarding Loyalty
by CorkyB45
Summary: Lizzie hears that Cooper's been arrested as an accomplice in Connolly's murder. She threatens to turn herself in unless Red agrees to help him. This was a prompt from a FB group. It's going to be multi chapters so it doesn't fit in with the story I have going on for my short stories.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Blacklist or any of the recognizable characters. If anyone wants to give them to me as a gift I might take them.

A/N While the next chapter of Into a Blazing Night is with my beta, the first time I'm using one and I'm sure it'll be all the better for her help, I started writing this new story. No beta used so any errors are all mine.

They'd been on the run for three weeks by the time the news of Cooper's arrest reached them. Red told her that his arrest didn't surprise him. The fact that she and Cooper had a close working relationship was making it easier to paint him as her accomplice. Cooper already lied to a judge once to keep her out of jail. It was a short leap to make it appear that Cooper arranged to meet with Connolly so Lizzie could kill him.

"Red we can't let Cooper be convicted of something he didn't do. He didn't know that I was going to shoot Connolly. Hell, I didn't even plan on shooting him until it happened. " Lizzie said miserably.

She really didn't plan on doing anything to Connolly until he threatened to have Red executed. She still hasn't shared that fact with Red. He would just feel even strongly that he'd failed her. She wasn't ready yet to admit the lengths she would go to protect him.

Red was certain that there was more to the story of her shooting Tommy Connolly, but she didn't appear to be ready to share it with him . . . yet. He was sure he would get the full story out of her eventually. He suspected that she'd done it to protect someone she cared about. The list of people that might qualify was short. It had to be someone on the task force, Tom and possibly himself. The last depended on the day and her mood. When he described Lizzie to Sam all those months ago and called her volatile he'd been right on the mark. Normally that trait wasn't something he found to be a positive. In her case it was interesting to see what would set her off next. Connolly found a way to not only set her off, but cause her to explode.

"We won't let Harold pay for getting caught up in this war with the Cabal. I'm not sure I can get him reinstated with the FBI. I might be able to convince Reven Wright that he was unable to stop you. It's my understanding that he was unarmed since he was suspended by Connolly. He tried to talk you down . . . unsuccessfully. How we approach her will need to be handled delicately." Red told her trying to be as reassuring as possible. He didn't feel the need to pull his punches when it came to what she did. The decision to kill Connolly was hers and hers alone. Despite the provocation she was now a murderer and she needed to come to terms with that fact. He knew it would be difficult for her to reconcile with her image of herself. He'd gone through the same struggle himself decades ago.

She was pleased that Red agreed to help Cooper. It was obvious to her that he'd been thinking about this for a while. She knew that Red wanted to know what caused her to pull Tom's gun and threaten Connolly with it. The fact that she pulled the trigger to protect Red was the only thing keeping her from hiding away until she could accept what she'd become. She had called Red a monster more than once; when she'd seen or heard about him killing someone. He'd killed three people that she knew of to protect her. It was after the Stewmaker's death that she'd called him a monster for the first time. Was she now a monster for killing Connolly to protect Red? Or was it a matter of the numbers involved. Did she have to kill more than one person to be a monster? She shoved the question into a dark corner of her mind. She would think about it all later. Right now she needed to concentrate on clearing Cooper. She promised herself she would follow Red's lead. He would know the best way to deal with all of it.

"Do you have any idea how we can get her alone?" Lizzie finally asked him.

She watched his face as he sat silent in front of her. She felt that she was literally able to see him plotting, accepting and rejecting ideas, everything visibly playing out behind his eyes.

"I need to contact Mr. Kaplan to setup a surveillance team. Once we learn her routine we can decide the best time and place to intercept her. I'll also have her contact Cooper discretely to let him know work is under way to try and clear his name. She'll also make him aware of any funds needed to get him an attorney or living expenses will be available to him with only a phone call. The name of an attorney that I recommend highly will also find its way to him. If he's as smart as I think Harold is, he'll let Kaplan retain him. All of this will take time. I think we should only need a couple of weeks before we can meet with Reven."

As much as she wanted to protest the time Red's plan would take, she reminded herself that this was something he had extensive experience arranging. She could and would learn to be patient.

Immediately after Connolly's murder they had been driven outside of DC to where they picked up a car that was waiting for them in a local Walmart parking lot. She learned that not only could Red drive, he enjoyed driving the back roads and country highways they were sticking to on their journey. The first night they stopped at a motel not far from the highway. The motel was nowhere near Red's normal standards, but they accepted cash and asked no questions. Lizzie stayed in the room while he went out and bought food. In addition to the food he brought back dye for her hair. After they ate she discovered another hidden talent of Red's. He cut her newly dyed blonde hair extremely short, but managed to keep it still feminine. Who knew he could cut hair so well, since he had almost none of his own. She barely recognized herself in the mirror and felt less nervous about being discovered the next morning when they hit the road again.

The next night found them staying at a deserted farmhouse somewhere in Missouri. After pulling the car behind a house so it wouldn't be visible from the road she was surprised when he pulled two suitcases and what looked like a briefcase from the trunk. Once they were comfortable inside the house she gestured toward the bags still sitting near the door.

"What's in the bags?"

"Go ahead and take a look. Yours is the blue bag," he told her with a slight smile.

When she opened the bag she found it full of clothes in her size, but not her style. She was ready to tell him there was no way that she was going to wear such colorful and slightly revealing clothes. Then she realized that was the point. Liz Keen would never wear this stuff. Whoever she was becoming it would be someone who **would** wear these clothes with her bleached blonde hair.

"I'm guessing the other suitcase is yours, but I doubt it contains any three piece suits and fedoras. What's in the other case?" she asked from where she was crouched next to the bags.

Red got up and picked up the briefcase. He placed it on the table in front of the couch and gestured for her to sit down next to him. Once she was seated he opened the case. Inside Lizzie saw stacks of hundred dollar bills and a smaller number of stacks of smaller bills. A gun, two burner phones and identity papers and credit cards for both of them with aliases. It was apparent to her that Red had been prepared should they ever need to disappear. What she didn't see were passports. Did this mean they wouldn't be leaving the country or that if they did it would be by private plane?

"How long have you had all of this ready?" she asked him quietly.

"Since Tom was exposed and Berlin became a more immediate threat. If the only way to protect you from either of them or both had been to run I wanted to be ready."

From the farmhouse they kept making their way west. They didn't take the most direct route to California, but that is where they finally stopped, in a little town on the coast. In a house overlooking the ocean they waited for Kaplan's surveillance team to report their findings.

Early on the morning of the fifteenth day since they'd left DC Red's burner phone began to ring.

"Yes," Red answered bypassing the normal polite method of answering.

"It's me dearie. Are you both alright?" Kaplan answered refusing to dispense with the pleasantries.

Red sighed and barely kept from grinding his teeth. He was getting antsy at staying in one place so long. The only thing making it bearable was the chance to really get to know Lizzie. He now knew what she looked like first thing in the morning with her adorable bed head. She was nearly catatonic in the morning before her first cup of coffee. Every day he learned something new about her.

"We are fine. A bit of cabin fever now and then, but nothing that we can't handle. Do you have the intel we need on the target?" Red asked her and once again appreciated the fact that he couldn't intimidate her no matter how nasty he was to her.

"We do. The target is very set in her daily routines. She lives alone with only a small dog that she walks every morning at seven. She's back at the house at seven-thirty and leaves for the office at eight-thirty. She divides her time between her office in the Hoover building and the offsite location which you are intimately familiar. She is at the offsite location on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I suspect that she could be lured there on another day if something of interest was discovered by the team at the offsite location. After work she returns to her home. She's home between seven-thirty and eight. Her weekends are not as structured. For the most part she's home in the morning after walking the dog. She goes out in the afternoon, but never goes to the same places or meets with the same people. We've tapped her home and cell phones. She has never called anyone associated with the known members of the Cabal. If she's spoken with any of them from her office phone we will never know. If I was a betting woman I'd lay good money on the fact that she's clean." Kaplan said finishing her report.

Lizzie had joined Red where he was sitting at the dining room table. He had the phone on speaker so she could hear Kaplan's report for herself.

"Do you know if she's had any contact with Cooper?" she asked Kaplan.

"If she has it would have had to be on her office phone. We've had Cooper under surveillance as well as his family. He hasn't gone anywhere near the offsite location or the Hoover building," was Kaplan's immediate reply.

"I'm sure she has some type of security system setup in her home. Have our people been able to solve the problem of getting into her house undetected?" Red was sure Kaplan knew the last was really a statement and not a question no matter how he'd phrased it.

"Her security system is top of the line and monitored by the FBI. It's not something like ADT that we could simply trip and give a simple pass phrase to keep the police from being summoned. If this one is tripped she need to provide visual confirmation that the police don't need to be called. My suggestion would be to grab her when she's out of the house on the weekend."

Red sat nodding to himself as she listed the details of her security system. The suggestion to grab her on the weekend was a good one. Her weekends were less structured and it would take longer for anyone to realize she's missing.

"Here is what I want done. I want Aram to hack into her calendar, both work and personal to make sure her calendar for this weekend is clear. When we are assured it's clear I want my plane sent to pick us up. You know what one to send. Get Baz to put together his best men and have them pick her up during her morning walk with her dog. I want to make sure neither of them are harmed. We will go over his plan once we are back in Baltimore." Red instructed her.

"I'll make sure it's all arranged. What day do you want the plane to pick you up?"

"Thursday night, I want to arrive in the early morning hours on Friday. Tell Baz I want him to meet us at the safe house to go over his plan." Red paused then and glanced at Lizzie for a moment. She'd shown remarkable restraint by not interrupting while their plans were formulated. It was time to ask for the information that Red knew she was truly interested in hearing.

"Did you make contact with Cooper like I asked?" Red asked while he watched the tension start to leave Lizzie's face and shoulders.

"I did. He was concerned about a certain person and was happy to hear that said person was safe. He has already made contact with the recommended attorney and accepted the generous offer the attorney made to work pro-bono. The other funds that were raised to assist him and his family were graciously received. The funds are being held in trust until needed." Kaplan said tap dancing around where the funds were coming from to pay the attorney.

Red had kept his eyes on Lizzie during Kaplan's response and was happy to see relief reflected in her eyes. Her silently mouthed "thank you" brought a brief smile to his face.

"Thank you Kate. I'll expect the plan in a couple of days. I'll see you once we land," with that he ended the call.

They silently gazed at each other for a few minutes. Red's thoughts were centered on the fact that their time alone in their house overlooking the Pacific ocean was almost over. In this house where they'd come to the realization that their lives had changed forever. She would never be an FBI agent again and he no longer had even the slightest chance at immunity for his many and varied crimes.

Her thoughts were about Red and how far he was willing to go to make her happy. She knew if he felt going back to the DC area put her in any danger he would leave her behind. She still needed to convince him that she wasn't helpless, needing his help to keep her safe all the time. She also knew and was just starting to accept that his concern was borne out of his love for her, not just his need for the Fulcrum and the security it held for him.

"Red I'm sorry you got caught up in my admittedly impulsive act. You've given up any chance to live a free life by helping me. After you had completed your list the government might have come through with your immunity." Lizzie told him in a voice that held little confidence in what she was saying.

"You know I never expected to receive immunity. I involved the FBI in my business for two reasons. You worked for them and this allowed me an entrance into your life without a lot of questions. It also allowed me to use government resources to help me hunt down those responsible for making me leave my family all those years ago to protect them. Let's not speak of it again, alright." Red told her gently with a smile.

"Agreed," she said with an answering smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Does it really need to be said yet again that I don't own the Blacklist or any of its characters? Needless to say I don't or I'd live much closer to the beach.

On Thursday they packed up and left their house overlooking the Pacific. They made sure to wipe down all the surfaces and burned all the rags in the fire pit outside. If anyone should track them to this house they wouldn't find anything to prove that they'd been here.

The drive to the secluded airfield was short. They arrived to find a small private jet waiting for them. It wasn't Red's usual plane. The FBI knew all about his private plane and they would be searching US airspace for any unauthorized flights of a plane matching its description and tail number.

They parked the car inside the small hangar next to the runway. After a short discussion with his pilot they boarded and were soon airborne.

During the past two weeks the news coverage of the search for the Russian former FBI agent had slowly faded away. They no longer had her face displayed on a little box during the entire newscast and morning shows. There were reports of Lizzie being seen all over the world. If the reports were to be believed she'd hopped all over the US before working her way back to mother Russia.

"I've been patient Red. Are we flying back to DC? Is it safe to land anywhere near there?" Lizzie asked from her seat next to Red. This plane didn't have a couch so he had to sit in one of the leather seats arranged on each side of the center aisle.

"In answer to your second question, you are correct. It's not safe for any private plane to land anywhere near DC right now. As you know the media has been playing up the fact that a Russian "sleeper" agent was responsible for the murder of the US Attorney General. The relations between Russia and the US at the moment are almost as bad as it was during the Cold War. Every plane that lands within 100 miles of DC is being searched by the FBI or Homeland Security. That is why we are landing in Kentucky."

Lizzie was glad that the plan was to land somewhere safe. She should just trust that Red knew what he was doing and relax as much as possible. That just wasn't in her nature. While she knew the US was accusing Russia of training her as a child and planting her with Sam until something triggered her to act, she thought the whole idea ridiculous. Her only hope is that those not involved in the Cabal felt the same way.

"Did I play into the Cabals hands by killing Connolly? If they wanted to cause the US and Russia to be brought to the brink of war, I think I did that without thinking about the problems it would cause outside of my being hunted by just about everyone. I don't think I could stand it if my actions triggered a war." Lizzie said giving voice to her worst fears.

"You may have helped the Cabal and its plans to cause tension between the US and other countries, including Russia, but if a war did happen it wouldn't be your fault. It would be the fault of the Cabal for calling you a Russian spy and playing up the thought that Connolly's murder was some Russian plot. Don't take on the responsibility of what the Cabal does. It's hard enough dealing with the guilt over our own actions, let them deal with their own."

The flight both seemed to take forever and no time at all. Their plane was met by a car and driver that Lizzie didn't recognize, but Red seemed happy to see the driver that he introduced to her as Blackbeard. She didn't understand the nickname, the man was as clean shaven as Red. Both men laughed at the look of confusion on her face.

"When I met him he was working with a group of Somali pirates. As the only other American I started calling him Blackbeard which pissed off the rest of the group since they didn't understand the reference. Now that's his name with me." Red explained to her as Blackbeard turned the car towards Virginia.

Within a couple of hours they were pulling into the driveway of a modest older home in Reston. Inside they were met by Kaplan and a tall man with his grey hair pulled back in a ponytail In all the times she'd seen him working with a team of men trusted enough by Red to guard him whenever he needed more than just Dembe. She was disappointed that Dembe was not there to meet them. She knew how much Red missed his quiet strength. Dembe was one of the few people who told Red the unvarnished truth whenever he felt Red needed to hear it.

After Red greeted both Baz and Kaplan with hugs and kisses he turned to Lizzie.

"Lizzie I don't think you've ever been introduced to this gentleman and he is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. I was his commanding officer before I went AWOL. That has to be the most minor of the offenses I'm charged with now. This is Baz. His real name is lost, never to be spoken again. Baz, this is Elizabeth Keen. You are to follow her orders as if they were my own. If it's ever a question between saving me or saving her, you will save her. Kate, I'd tell you the same but I know you'll always do whatever you want anyway." Red finished with a smile that took any sting out of his words.

"Ms. Keen nice to meet you officially," Baz said shaking her hand.

"Please call me Liz," she said in response.

She really needed to choose a different last name. She didn't want to be reminded of Tom every time she was introduced to someone.

With the introductions over they gathered around the kitchen table for coffee and to review Baz's plan. Lizzie suspected that Red the tactical genius would have some changes. She would have to ask him the full story about Baz once they had time for what she was sure would be a long interesting tale.

The plan was simple. There was a small side street that Reven needed to cross both on the way to the park where she walked her dog every morning and on the way home. She made it a habit to cross the street on one end of the block on her way to the park and then she exited the park on the opposite side from where she entered. Then she walked down the side street on her way home. Today another woman walking her equally small dog would meet her. Once Reven stopped to chat with her, both of them and their dogs would be forced into an unmarked van. With a threat to kill the innocent bystander if Reven didn't get into the van was hoped to be enough to get her to cooperate.

The only change that Red requested was that there would be another man and woman at the end of the block just in case the woman with the dog couldn't get Reven to stop. If she passed the woman by, the couple would start walking down the street towards her pretending to be out for a morning walk.

It turned out that the couple wasn't needed. Reven calmly climbed into the van as ordered. The men in the van scanned her for any electronics besides her phone. They took the battery out of her phone and scanned it once again to make sure there was no other tracker installed that didn't require the battery. When the additional tracking chip was discovered they dropped the phone out the window.

"I'm sorry Ms. Wright. I was told to give you back your phone when we released you. But, I couldn't allow the FBI to track our movements, " Baz told her from the front passenger seat of the van.

"What do you want with me?" Reven asked without any visible fear.

"All I can tell you is that my employer wants to speak with you privately."

Reven was quiet for a short time. Trying to figure out who his boss was would be nearly impossible after decades of putting dangerous and powerful people behind bars.

"Can you at least tell me who your employer is?"

Baz turned in his seat so he could look at her directly.

"We are almost at our destination. I don't see any issue with answering you. We work for Raymond Reddington." Baz told her noting the flicker of interest that crossed her face.

The rest of the trip passed in silence. The driver pulled the van into the garage of the Reston house and closed the door before everyone exited the van. The door that lead into the house opened and Red met them at the door.

"Ms. Wright please excuse the steps we've been forced into to speak with you," Red told her before turning and leading Baz, Reven and her dog into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: These are getting tedious. I don't own the Blacklist or any of its characters. I'm making no money from the time I spent writing this story.

Once Reven and Red were seated around the same table where they'd hammered out their plan the day before, he called out for Lizzie to join them.

"We suspected that Reddington assisted you in your escape. Thank you for the confirmation," Reven snarked at them both.

Red simply smiled in response to her comment. He would have considered the task force to be even more inept than he normally did if they didn't think he helped Lizzie to escape from them.

"While I would love to sit here and trade barbed comments I thought you might like to know why you are here," Red paused to see if she had anything to say in response. She simply raised an eyebrow and remained silent.

"All right then. I'm sure you think I'm here about Ms. Keen. But, you would be mistaken. We are here to discuss Harold Cooper and his innocence in Connolly's murder."

Lizzie visibly flinched at the word murder. She never thought that word would be used to describe one of her actions. Red wasn't pulling any punches when it came down to what she did to Connolly. He felt the quicker she comes to terms with her action the better.

"Cooper met with Connolly in the presence of a suspect in the bombing of a CIA office and the deaths of nine CIA agents. As a sworn FBI agent it was his duty to arrest and detain Ms. Keen. Not take her to meet with the US Attorney General armed with an unlicensed firearm," Reven said angrily. Her disappointment in Cooper was obvious.

"Cooper didn't know I was armed. We went there to confront him about his part in Cooper's faked illness and the conspiracy to frame me," Liz spoke up finally.

"Well, it appears that conversation turned out badly for everyone involved," Reven said sarcastically.

"That doesn't mean Harold bears any responsibility for her actions. If you feel you must fire him for not arresting Ms. Keen then you should do that. He is not guilty of the charges you've accused him of and I think you know that is true. Who is driving you to charge him as an accessory to murder?" Red asked smoothly guiding the conversation back to the subject they wanted to discuss.

"I'm not sure who authorized those charges to be filed against him. The orders didn't come from me or anyone else at the FBI. All I know is that the order came from someone high up in the government. If I were to guess I'd say someone in Homeland Security or the NSA," Reven said answering for the first time without any attitude.

"Why do you think they want him charged with his murder?" Red asked her. He had his own suspicions and he wondered if she had the same ones.

"If I was a betting person I'd give you good odds on the charges being a way to draw you and Keen out of hiding to help him," she said stating Red's exact thoughts on the matter.

"May I ask if you've been following the news stories about a shadow government that involves some extremely high ranking officials in your government?" Red asked her.

Reven shook her head. She didn't believe most of what the news stories were printing. How could any organization like this remain hidden for so long?

"Of course I have. I find it hard to believe. Some of the evidence they've been revealing is hard to dispute. The only problem I have with everything they've been writing is that all the reporters refuse to reveal how they obtained their evidence. Is this coming from this Fulcrum?"

Red hoped that his impression was accurate that she was open to the possibility that the stories might have some truth. He knew how difficult it was to believe that the government she served so faithfully may not be worthy of her unquestioning devotion. It was a fact he'd been forced to face twenty-five years ago.

"I gave a number of investigative reporters pieces of the Fulcrum file. I also warned them that if they reported on the contents of the file their lives and the lives of those that they love would be in danger also. One of the reporters has already been killed. His death has just made the others more determined to expose everyone involved," Red told her, sharing with her the news about the reporter that he'd kept from Lizzie up until now.

Lizzie couldn't help but feel responsible for the unnamed reporters death. She knew that Red had played his trump card in the hopes that the Cabal would be forced to clear her name in the deaths of the CIA agents. It might have worked if she hadn't killed Connolly at almost the same time Red was meeting with the reporters he'd gathered from around the globe.

"Reddington I'm not sure I have enough clout to help Harold. I believe he's not involved, outside of displaying some poor judgment in meeting with Connolly. What I can do I will, but I can't call off the task force that is now tasked with only one goal, to locate you and Keen," Reven said with all traces of anger or sarcasm gone. She may not like what was happening to Cooper, but she was telling the truth when she said she didn't have enough influence to affect the directive she and the task force had been given.

"All I need from you is the name of the person pushing for Cooper's arrest. I suspect it's a person both Lizzie and I have met with on separate occasions recently. He's willing to do anything to force us to give up all copies of the full Fulcrum file. I just want confirmation before I deal with him permanently. With this group it's often a case of the devil you know being better than the one you don't see coming," Red told her.

They were all quiet contemplating the truth of Red's last statement.

"Ms. Wright I'm going to give you a phone that you can use to contact me when you get that name," Red said motioning for Kaplan to hand her a phone from her huge tote bag. Red often wondered what secrets might be hiding in the depths of that bag.

After Reven put the phone in one of her jacket pockets Red stood up in obvious dismissal.

"My associates will drive you back to you house. Again accept my apology for the manner used to bring you here," Red told her, surprising her with his apology.

"I would like to say something before you go Ms. Wright. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that you've been dragged into all of this. The Cabal needs to be stopped and I don't think they can be by any government agency. There is no way to determine how far their influence in our government extends," Lizzie paused a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Please tell Aram, Ressler and Samar how sorry I am for getting them mixed up in all this too. But, Connolly threatened every one of them. He was going to ruin their lives, possibly even have them killed. Tell them to keep a look out. I doubt those threats died with him."

Finally her shooting Connolly made sense to Reven. She'd shot him to protect her friends and co-workers. She suspected that Connolly had also threatened Reddington. She would try and find a way to get the full details of their conversation from Cooper if he was be willing to meet with her somewhere away from possible eavesdroppers.

Red and Lizzie left the house first. They might be able to trust Wright at some point, but this close to the events that caused them to go into hiding they would need to be cautious. The car that drove them out of Virginia was again driven by Blackbeard. This time they headed to a small airfield outside of Ashland Kentucky.

At the airport Red bid Blackbeard goodbye saying something that Lizzie couldn't hear, but made the big man laugh loudly.

They quickly climbed the stairs leading up to the cabin. She was surprised to see Dembe waiting for them onboard.

"Dembe! Are you coming with us?" Lizzie asked him hopefully.

Red put on a good show of being happy with her company, but she could tell he missed having his gentle friend around. They had a special bond. Maybe one day they might share the circumstances of how they was sure that there was an interesting story to be shared.

"Yes, I've done all I can to lead the task force away from you," he answered with a smile.

"Now it is time for him to slip away. I'm sure Donald will be very frustrated to learn that he slipped away from the very obvious tail that they had watching him," Red said with a grin. He was very happy to have his "little" brother back with him again.

The plane began to taxi without waiting for Red to give the pilots a destination. That was unusual and made her wonder what their destination might be.

"Where are we headed now?" Lizzie asked as she fastened her seatbelt in preparation for take off.

Red took a seat on the small couch. It was then that she realized they were on his usual plane. Seeing Dembe had distracted her enough that the plane's interior didn't register until this moment.

"We are headed out of the US. We are going to a nice non-extradition country. I would have chosen a different location if you were not traveling with me. Most of these countries are in the Middle East or on the African continent. I don't think you would enjoy keeping your head and face covered every time you ventured outside or if we had any visitors," Red told her without answering her question.

She had become familiar with his habit of answering her questions with a story that ultimately left her with questions and no answers.

"As much as I love to hear you talk. In fact, almost as much as you do. But, I noticed you managed to tap dance away from the actual question. Where are we going Red?" she said in mock anger.

Red had to smile at how good she's become at recognizing where he used a story to distract her.

"We are going to the Maldives. A few weeks laying on a beach is just what the doctor ordered."

She had heard of the Maldives before, but had never looked it up on a world map. The name alone sounded strange and exciting.

"I've heard of those islands. I can't remember right now where they are, what part of the world are they in?" she asked slightly embarrassed.

"If you didn't plan on going there I really can't be surprised that you don't know where they are located. The islands are in the Indian Ocean. There are about twelve hundred islands in the country. Only about two hundred are inhabited. We are going to an island located in the Baa Atoll. The island name is Eydhafushi," Red told her pronouncing the name with no trouble.

"Do you have friends there that will help keep us out of sight?"

"I keep telling you that I don't have any friends Lizzie. However, I do have a number of acquaintances that would be willing to help us. We really don't need to stay out of sight. No one there needs to worry about being arrested or extradited to the United States. We are going to take a break until we hear from Reven. I suspect it may take her a few weeks to get the name we need."

Lizzie was happy to hear that they would be staying put for some time. That news and the idea that they would be somewhere that might be a beach nearby. It has been years since she'd taken anything resembling a vacation.

"This all sounds lovely. Promise me if you hear that Cooper is in more trouble that we will go back to help him," Lizzie said unable to hide the concern she still felt.

Red didn't like the idea of becoming more involved with clearing Cooper's name. Except that he knew deep down that he needed to repay Cooper's willingness to do whatever he needed to in order to keep Lizzie safe.

"You have my word. There are some of my people keeping Cooper and his family under surveillance. At the first sign of problems they will pull the family out and get them somewhere safe. Right now Cooper needs to stay where ever they've stashed him. We need the answer from Reven before we go in and get him," promised Red.

With that decided Liz sat back to enjoy the rest of their flight. She could really get used to traveling in this style.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't profit from these little stories. I wish I did. I could really use more money.

They only spent a night on Eydhafushi before boarding a boat that Red told her would take them to their ultimate location, a small nameless speck lost amongst all the other small specks of land that barely deserved the name island.

"What makes this island different from the twenty we've already passed?" Lizzie finally asked Red after they'd been at sea for an hour.

Red was enjoying just being back on the water. It would have been faster to rent a helicopter to make the trip. It just wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable for him. He couldn't tell if Lizzie was enjoying the trip as much as he was, but she'd lasted longer than he expected before starting to question him about their destination. He'd only given her thirty minutes before he expected her to start questioning or complaining about the trip and "his" island. Little did she know that the island really did belong to him.

He turned his attention to where she sat along the rail opposite him. He was pleased to see that she looked more relaxed than she had in weeks. The morning sun was starting to bring a little color back to her cheeks. They'd spent far too many days indoors since they fled DC.

"There are a couple of differences. The first and biggest difference is the island we are heading to has a plentiful supply of fresh water. There are a couple of fresh water springs. There are also rain collectors for showering and the toilets. The other difference is that I own this island." Red said noting what looked like relief on her face at his mention of the toilets. What did she think? Did she think he was taking them to Gilligan's Island! Of course watching that show as a kid it never occurred to him to wonder where they went to the bathroom. With everything the Professor built he just assumed they had a fully working toilet in every hut.

"You actually own an island?" Lizzie asked in disbelief.

Red's smile was his only answer.

They continued sailing across beautiful aqua colored water for another quarter of an hour before he called her attention to an island off to the right.

"There it is. Sila please drop us off at the dock. I know Putu already has the houses ready for us. Thank her for me," Red told Sila who was the boat's captain. Lizzie assumed he would be called a captain even if the boat was barely twenty-five feet in length. Putu was Sila's wife and they acted as the caretakers of Red's island get away. She'd learned the couple lived in a smaller house on the opposite side of the island from the dock.

"I will Mr. Red. She will be very happy to see you and Dembe again. She will also be very happy to meet you Miss Elizabeth," Sila said with a wide smile.

Sila pulled up next to the dock that extended into the water only about forty feet from the shore. She understood after their journey why Sila's boat had an almost flat bottom. The ocean between the different islands was very shallow in some spots.

They grabbed their small travel bags from the boat and climbed onto the dock. Sila pulled away almost immediately and gave them a wave goodbye. He would sail around to the dock near his house and tie the boat up there.

Lizzie saw a path that lead inland through a surprisingly thick forest of palm trees. The path lead inland for about a quarter of a mile before the trees thinned a bit. The had climbed a small hill and they'd reached a point where she could see a house directly in front of them. A little further up the path she saw another path that branched off to the right. She could see what looked like a small cottage at the end of the path.

The house in front of them blended into the landscape so well it looked like a part of the island itself. It was built out of stone and wood. The stone was almost the exact color of the sand which lay over the ground even this far from the beach. The color of the wood was darker than the trunks of the palms. She couldn't tell what type of wood it was, but she thought it went well with the color of the stone.

"I'm sure that I wouldn't have found this house if you hadn't lead me directly to it," she told Red from where she'd stopped to admire the house.

"That is the point. If someone came up on the island they'd see the docks and Sila's house is visible. Most casual observers would just assume that they are the only ones on the island. Even if someone flew over the island they wouldn't see it. We will be completely safe here for however long we choose to stay," Red told her.

They started towards the house again. When they reached the path that branched to the right Dembe bade them goodbye and headed off to the cottage. After Dembe left them they continued on to the front door of the house that would be theirs. Red reached out and turned the door knob and stepped aside so she could enter first. She glanced at the door as she passed him and was shocked to see that the door had no lock. She gave herself a mental head slap as she realized how unnecessary a locked door would be around here.

The door opened directly into a bright open room. All the blinds were open, allowing the sunlight that filtered through the trees to brighten the inside. The room contained a couple of white couches with bright colorful pillows strewn casually across them. A couple of chairs in complimentary colors completed the room with plenty of tables arrange in such a way that you wouldn't need to move far to set a drink or book down from any of the seats in the room.

She was surprised to see a big screen TV set at one end of the room. She also spotted a small stereo in the corner. There were a number of short bookcases tucked under the windows and were full of what appeared to be well read books. One thing all of the houses she has seen Red use over the years always had, they had books somewhere in the house.

"The kitchen is around the corner here," Red said leading her across the room and around a corner she had missed on her first glance around the room.

The kitchen was smaller than she expected. It was stocked with high end stainless steel appliances that gleamed. She didn't cook, but she'd learned that Red enjoyed cooking when he had a chance.

There was a set of French doors that lead off the kitchen onto a large lanai. The lanai had a full outdoor kitchen with both a gas and charcoal grill, a stove top, small refrigerator, what looked like an ice machine and a large double sink. There were lounge chairs and couches scattered across the open area to the left of the kitchen area. The entire lanai was covered by a wooden patio cover painted the same green as the palm trees. She was surprised to see an amazing ocean view from there.

He took her back inside and walked through the kitchen to a hallway that lead to the bedrooms. All three rooms were furnished in teak furniture. Two of the rooms had queen size beds and soothing pastel colors on the sheets and comforters. The master bedroom had a king size bed with cream colored sheets and blankets in colors that were darker than the other rooms. This room had a more masculine feel to it than the other two rooms.

"You can choose whichever bedroom you'd like, but I think Putu may have put your clothes in this room," Red told her showing her into the room to the right that was slightly smaller than the room Lizzie thought of as the "master" suite. "All the bedrooms have their own private baths."

She walked into the room and gave it a quick once over. She didn't anticipate spending a lot of time in the bedroom so she didn't care which room she chose. She walked to the door leading to the bathroom and instantly fell in love. The room had the standard sink and toilet. The shower was a glass enclosure tucked into the corner of the room. What she didn't expect was the clawfoot tub that was deep enough to soak all the way up to her neck and was large enough for two. Before she sold her DC home and moved into one cheap motel after another, she would light some candles, turn on some soothing music, grab a glass of wine and relax in her tub. It did wonders in lowering her stress level.

"This room is great Red. Which one is yours?" she asked not trying to hide her delight in her room.

"Mine is right across the hall. If you find that you need something that's not already stocked in your bath just let me know. Sila will be happy to pick it up in town," Red told her as he lead her out to the lanai where he took a seat in one of the lounge chairs and sat gazing out at the ocean.

She took a seat in the chair to his right. She too looked out towards where the waves were breaking on the beach. After sitting for only moments she realized that she would sleep well tonight listening to the distant sound of the waves.

"I haven't had a chance to spend much time here in the past few years. I'd forgotten how relaxing just sitting here looking at the ocean can be. If I know Putu she has something in the refrigerator for dinner. She makes an amazing fish stew. Sila brings in the fresh fish he'd caught every morning. What they don't use he takes to a nearby island to give to the local food bank," Red told her without taking is eyes off the blue water.

She was starting to get some inkling into use how much he must miss being in the Navy. Sam had told her about what it was like sailing on the huge Navy ships. How scary it was at first, being so far away from land. After a few weeks it no longer seemed strange to have the floor rolling under his feet. He mentioned how he wanted to move back to the coast, east or west didn't matter. Then he got sick and just ran out of time.

"Do you ever go sailing when you are here?" she asked curiously.

Red looked a little startled at her question that seemed to him to have come out of thin air.

"It's just that Sam mentioned how much he missed the Navy and being aboard a ship surrounded by nothing but water as far as the eye could see. I was wondering if you felt the same way. That is why I wanted to know if you had a chance to spend some time sailing," Liz said in response to the look on his face.

"Ah," was Red's only response for a couple of minutes.

"I don't usually sail much when I'm here. I prefer a true sailboat and the water around the island is not really deep enough for the size of boat I prefer to sail. As a kid I sailed a lot during the summer. The winter weather in Massachusetts was always too unpredictable for my mother's peace of mind. She didn't let me sail then and it seemed to take years for the winters to pass." Red told her with a far away look in his eyes. "When I started thinking seriously about what I wanted to do after high school. The Navy was the only choice for me. My parents refused to let me enlist, going to Annapolis was a compromise they could accept. The eighteen months I spent at sea after graduating from the academy was the happiest time of my life."

"What made you decide to take a posting on land if you loved the sea so much?" she asked quietly, hoping that he'd continue sharing some of his past with her.

He finally looked away from the ocean to meet her eyes.

"There were a couple of reasons. Taking a position in Naval Intelligence assured me a quick advancement that would be denied me by staying assigned to sea duty. The second reason was Jennifer. I wanted to be a part of her life. I didn't want to see her for a few short weeks in between deployments," he said pausing to gather his thoughts. "If I knew then how the transfer would affect the rest of my life I would have taken the longer road to advancement. But, then I would never have met you. You have made the past twenty-five years mean something, something that kept me from giving up when my life went to hell on Christmas Eve."

She didn't know what to say in response to Red's words. She was used to the Red that talked in circles or tried to distract her with a story. This Red that was willing to talk about the past was completely new.

"I figured out quite a while ago that you were the "friend" that brought me to Sam. I don't remember seeing you after that night. You had pictures of me as a child along with my high school graduation photograph in your apartment in Baltimore. Are your feelings for me paternal?" she asked him unable to accept his answer when she asked him the first time at face value. She needed him to confirm his interest in her was as a man for a woman and not a father for his daughter.

Her question surprised him. He didn't think he'd ever treated her like a daughter. The sheer number of sexual innuendos that he's said in her presence should have proven his non-paternal feelings for her.

"Lizzie there are many ways to describe my feelings for you. Paternal is definitely not one of them. You were a lovely child and Sam shared pictures of you growing up. As an adult you are a beautiful, brave, compassionate woman. I cared for the child and I love the woman with all that I am," he was determined to make Lizzie realize how much he cared for her; her not the Fulcrum, not young Lizzie, nor the FBI agent. With every photo and anecdote he'd received from Sam, his attraction to her grew. He tried to fight it, telling himself he was sick for having these feelings for a girl that was young enough to be his daughter. For the girl who's life he'd saved. The Cabal somehow knew he'd hidden her away. When he wouldn't reveal her location they'd come into his house on Christmas Eve and took his wife and child as retribution. Losing his family because of the girl, he'd fully expected to hate her. That hatred never took root in him.

Lizzie sat there in stunned silence as tears started flowing from her could count the number of the men in her life that said they loved her on one hand. Not one of them, even Tom the professional Romeo, ever said those words in such an eloquent manner and with as much emotion. She'd always fought to keep her feelings for Red hidden away, thinking that there was no way he would feel the same about her. Now that she knew he felt the same, the question became what was she going to do about it?

"I'm not going to express myself as well as you did, but I feel the same way about you. I've felt this way for a long time. Seeing the women you've been involved with on a few occasions I never felt that I could measure up. You seem to go for the older more sophisticated woman." She forced herself to stop speaking before she made a bigger fool of herself than she had already. Taking a deep breath she spoke again in a voice heavy with emotion.

"I love you too Red."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Can we set these things to music to make them more interesting. I don't own the Blacklist nor am I making any money off of this story.

After they bared their hearts to each other they decided to move their relationship on slowly. To allow them to grow closer before jumping into a more physical one. Being on the run heightened their emotions and they were both aware of the danger of acting on them. If what they felt was real they had time to indulge once they could breath a bit more freely. Once they had reach a place of safety.

They did make one change without any real need to discuss it. Almost without thought they both retired that night to Red's room. There was a great deal of squirming by both parties as they tried to find a comfortable way to lay without touching the other person.

"This is ridiculous Lizzie come here. I'll be more comfortable and sleep better with you in my arms," he said holding his left arm away from his body so she could scoot over and use his shoulder as a pillow. With a smile Lizzie moved over and laid her head down on his t-shirt clad chest. She wrapped her arm over his waist and snuggled closer. Their legs tangled together naturally, like they'd laid this way many times before. As soon as he had her in his arms she felt him take a deep breath, as deep as he could with his still healing wound. He let it out slowly and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight Lizzie," Red said quietly.

"Sweet dreams Red."

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When Lizzie woke the next morning it was to find herself alone. This didn't surprise or worry her. Red seldom slept through the night. He was usually awake when she went to bed and was already up in the morning, showered and dressed. She wondered just how he would look this morning with only her to see him.

She showered quickly and dressed in a pair of shorts and tank top. Whoever stocked her room with clothes, she assumed it was Putu, had picked clothes she would have picked for herself.

She found Red on the lanai with a variety of fresh fruits and breakfast pastries. He was dressed, to her surprise and delight, in shorts, a t-shirt and bare feet. She didn't know what surprised her more, the shorts or the bare feet. This was the most skin of his that she'd seen. In fact the only bare skin she'd seen before was the bloody skin of his chest and stomach after he'd been shot.

"Lizzie good morning! Help yourself to some breakfast. Putu brought the pastries up this morning. She loves having someone besides Sila to feed, " He told her with a smile.

After filling her plate and pouring herself some coffee that smelled heavenly she sat in a chair next to him. She would never tire of the view of the ocean from here. She always assumed that the pictures she'd seen of the blue tropical waters were faked. Now she knew that there truly were tropical paradises in the world.

"What are the plans for today? You look rather comfy right here," she told him with a smirk.

Red gave her a delighted chuckle.

"Oh, I'm very comfy. My plans for today consist of spending time with you, perhaps a dip in the ocean, a little wine, a good book and some food that I'll actually have the time to prepare. How does that all sound to you?"

"It sounds like the perfect vacation, very relaxing," she told him. "Very unlike you, but I can't wait to meet a relaxed Raymond Reddington."

They spent the day doing exactly what Red had told her.

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For the next week they spent each day in almost the same way they'd spent their first day on the island. Their skin grew dark and they grew closer and closer. Each night they spent in each others arms.

After they'd been on the island for a week Red's satellite phone rang surprising them both.

"Yes," Red said in his usual way of answering.

He listened in silence for a moment.

"Thank you I'll take if from here. Maker sure you destroy the phone. It can only cause you problems," he said before disconnecting. He took the battery out of the phone and set the pieces on the table.

"Who was it?" Lizzie asked him.

"That was Reven Wright. She's confirmed that the pressure being put on Cooper and the task force is coming from the Director. I'm going down to see Dembe. He needs to head back ahead of us to start the preparations for getting Charlene and the kids somewhere safe. Once they are clear we'll go in and get Cooper. I'm sorry Lizzie I'd hoped for a longer vacation," Red told her not trying to hide his disappointment.

"Red it's not your fault. I'm the one that asked you to help Cooper. This has been a great week. After Dembe leaves I think we need to start making plans. This island will still be here after we help Cooper," she said giving his arm a squeeze and a placing a tender kiss on his lips before letting him go.

Red grabbed the pieces of the phone before heading off to Dembe's cottage. He was unhappy that their break was so short. Up until the time he'd surrendered to the FBI he made it a point to take an extended vacation twice a year. Since working with Lizzie and the FBI he'd managed only a few days off at a time. He needed a longer time with Lizzie alone, away from DC, the task force and the Cabal. Unfortunately, with the Director behind the events with Cooper, the confrontation between he and the Director couldn't be put off any longer.

Red walked toward the back of Dembe's house. He had a lanai back there just like his house did and just like Red Dembe enjoyed sitting back there with a book and a cold drink.

"Dembe, how have you enjoyed our little break?" Red asked taking a seat near him with a sigh.

"It has been nice getting a chance to read, swim and sleep without worrying about who might show up in the night. With that phone in your hand I'm guessing we are heading somewhere," Dembe said in his usual calm and quiet way.

Red almost smiled. Dembe knew him so well. He usually missed not having him around 24/7. This time he was grateful that his friend had given him time to be alone with Lizzie. Dembe had known how much Lizzie meant to him, almost before Red himself was willing to admit it.

"Wright just called. She told me that the Director is behind Cooper's arrest. I need you to head back and get Baz's group ready to break Cooper out of the hole the Director is having him held in. I'll call Kate and have her get Charlene and the kids out of the country as planned. Charlene has already been told to be ready to go as soon as she is contacted. Once they are safe we'll go in and get Harold. Lizzie and I will follow you in a couple of days. Have Edward fly back here as soon as he's dropped you off. Kate should have the blue prints of the site where Harold is being held. Have Baz start reviewing them and outlining any items of concern. Once Lizzie and I get there we need to strike almost immediately. The Director and his group will be on high alert once they realize that Cooper's family has disappeared."

"Do you want my satellite phone before I leave? I assume you want me to drop that phone far away from here," Dembe asked him as he stood to immediately head off to Sila's house.

"Yes, just make sure you take another one for yourself. I want you to check in before you get on the plane and once you are back in the DC area. I'm sure the Director has feelers out all over the world looking for us and I'll feel better if I know you are still okay my brother."

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With Dembe's departure after the call from Reven the atmosphere in the house grew tense. Red spent a great deal of the day on the lanai with a pad of paper and a pen. This was the first time that she really saw the tactical genius that graduated at the top of his Annapolis class on display. He had a series of long calls with both Kate and Baz. After he finished each call the plan on his pad changed to accommodate the new information he'd received. She was unsure as to whether he was planning Cooper's escape or the director's capture.

"Where is Cooper being held?" she asked, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over them?

"He's being held in the NSA's version of a black site. It's located outside of Reston. They've kept him near DC. If I had to guess I think that is so they can lure us back to their doorstep. We have to be very careful to not spring their trap until we are ready. If we aren't careful Cooper will have a lot of company," Red told her bluntly.

Lizzie could count on one hand how often she's seen him this serious. Even when on the wrong side of a gun he's always been an animated ass to the person holding the gun, but not here and not now. She knew if he was the only one in danger he would be cracking jokes while he planned his attack. With everyone he cares about and their lives at stake, there were no jokes, wisecracks or smiles.

"Are we going for Cooper first or the Director?" she asked him, not sure which answer would make her happier.

Red leaned back in his chair and stared at the ocean waves breaking on the shore in the distance. He didn't want to leave but he realized that the Cabal was advancing its agenda as they frolicked in the waves. Just as she said earlier, this would all be here when they were done. His fear was that he might not be able to get everyone through unscathed.

"We are going to go after both targets at the same time. The team that is going after Cooper will attack first. That should force the Director to send a team from his compound to assist. He'll want to make sure it's a Cabal team that is completely loyal to him. When this happens he will only have a skeleton protection team left guard him. It's going to be a battle getting through to him before he can call in a new team or recall the team he just sent to Cooper's location," Red told her tiredly.

"Are you up for all of this? It's barely over a month since you were shot," she said not trying to hide her concern.

Her question warmed Red's heart. Only a short time ago she was telling him that they were through and she didn't want to see him again. As much as he wished her memories of the night of the fire were still hidden, he was selfish enough to want her love and concern for him.

"I assure you that my trigger finger is unharmed and fully capable of taking down the Director, along with any of his cronies that get in the way," he said with a sneer.

"Okay, okay. I'm on your side don't forget. It sounds like you are going after the Director. Which team will I be on?"

Red sighed quietly. He wanted to keep her out of the line of fire, but he knew she would never agree to that, ever! If he didn't assign her to a team she would force her way into one of the teams.

"As much as I'd prefer to keep you with me, I think you'd rather go after dear Harold. Am I right?"

"I really would like to help him. After all he's where he is because of me," she told him not at all surprised that he knew her so well.

"Okay, but you have to promise me that you'll be careful."

"I will be as careful as I can be and I expect the same from you. I want us both back here on this island so we can pick up from where we leave off tomorrow."

He nodded in agreement, with the smile he reserved just for her. He reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Now I want you to call Donald and tell him that we want to meet with him tomorrow. Tell him that he's not to tell anyone that we will be in the area. We will text him the address of where the meeting will be held," Red told her as he handed her the new satellite phone.

She had to admit that she was a bit confused. Red already told her that they wouldn't be calling on the team for their assistance in breaking Cooper out of the black site. He was keeping something from her and she didn't like it. She thought they were past keeping information from the other person.

"Why do we want to meet Ressler? He'll try to arrest us. He knew I had nothing to do with the Senator's murder. That is why he let me escape from the Post Office. I killed Connolly. He's not going to look the other way on his murder," she said anxiously.

He didn't want to tell her the other news that Reven had supplied him this morning. She told him that she had proof that Ressler was in regular contact with Director. He'd already received the same reports from the team he had watching Ressler 24/7.

"I want Ressler out of the way. I've had reports both from Reven Wright and my team that Ressler contacts the Director on a regular basis. Kaplan arranged recently to tap into his calls and heard a number of the conversations he's had with the Director. There is no doubt that he's working for the Cabal and has been since before the task force was formed originally. I'm sorry Lizzie," he said sincerely. He knew that she had come to trust and rely on Ressler over the past couple of years. This would be yet another betrayal by someone she thought she could trust.

She wanted to defend Ressler. However, she knew Red wouldn't accuse him without definitive proof. They really couldn't trust anyone outside of their little group. It was depressing to realize that anyone they meet or have met might be someone on the Cabal's payroll.

She took the phone from Red without a word and dialed Ressler's cell phone.

"Ressler" Lizzie heard from the phone in her hand.

"Hey Ressler it's me, " she managed to get out before he cut her off.

"Where are you Keen? You need to turn yourself in and I'll do everything I can to get you a fair trial," he said in a rush.

"It doesn't matter where I am now. I want to meet up with you in a couple of days. As soon as I get back to DC I'll text you the address of where I'll be," she hoped that she sounded normal. Not that it would be surprising if the stress she was feeling came out in her voice.

"Are you still with Reddington? If you can bring him in too you'll be able to get a better deal form yourself."

"I'll text you in a couple of days," she told him before hanging up.

"Let me guess. He is trying to persuade you to turn yourself in and he'll get you a fair trial. And, if you turn me in too you'll get an even better deal," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "I can't believe he had me fooled. He plays the dutiful FBI agent flawlessly."

They continued planning for the two assaults that they would be undertaking in only a couple of days. Without the blue prints of the black site and the guards schedule, a final plan could not be determined. They both knew that Baz would be reviewing the plans and schedules while they traveled from their island to the DC area. By the time they met up with them again Baz would have a good plan for breaching the black site's defenses outlined for them. Red would add his expertise and they would be ready to execute it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Disclaimed into perpetuity, I don't own the Blacklist or Red Reddington. I'm really depressed about that last one.

Their last night on the island was spent in silent agreement to not discuss what awaited them in DC. Talking about it any more would do nothing but stress them out further.

Red sent Lizzie off to take a final swim at their beach while he prepared a simple dinner. By the time she walked onto the lanai, still dripping salt water, he was opening a bottle of wine to accompany their dinner. A dinner that was already waiting for them on the table.

They enjoyed their grilled chicken, rice and salad by candlelight, with the soothing sound of the surf in the background. She didn't know if it was the wine causing her to relax so completely or if it was the company. He was chatting quietly with her. No wild stories, just keeping the conversation relaxed. He asked about growing up in Nebraska while sharing what it was like growing up in boarding schools around the Northeast, mostly near Boston.

She never thought about what it was like for him growing up as the only child of a Navy admiral. She didn't know if his attending Annapolis was his choice or his father's. If he was willing to talk tonight about personal matters she'd see if she could learn more about what made him the man he was, besides the events of that fateful Christmas Eve.

"I've often wondered about your attending Annapolis. Was that your choice or your father's?" she asked into a lull in their conversation.

Red looked at her for a moment. He suspected that the profiler was at work, but he wanted there to be no secrets between them any longer. Let he probe for answers. He had the advantage of knowing so much more about her than she did about him.

"It was his choice. I wanted to go to Harvard to study law. My father had a very low opinion of attorneys. He used his influence to make sure Harvard rejected my application. He told me that he would make sure any other schools I applied to would end the same way. I knew him well enough to believe him. It turned out I enjoyed my time there. I enjoyed the camaraderie that existed between me and my fellow midshipmen. There was a certain amount of competition for the best grades. The best grades guaranteed a good posting after graduation. It turned out I had a knack for being able to see an opponent's moves in advance. During our war games my group almost always won. The only times we lost was when one of my commanders didn't follow the plan. I slowly realized that I was being taught that even with the most elegant plan it still depended on very fallible humans to execute it. Planning for failures at any point of the original plan is almost as critical as designing it to initially." Red told her seemingly lost in the past.

"Your file with the FBI stated your rather was forced to retire after your disappearance. Did they think he was involved?" she asked gently.

"They, meaning the Navy, forced him to retire. My father's best friend was Alan Fitch. He may have retired from the Navy, but he went to work secretly for the NSA. He was a member of the Cabal until his death," he told her uncomfortably. "He seemed to adore Jennifer. For the longest time I hated him for allowing the Cabal to kill my wife and child. After learning that they were both still alive, just in the Witness Protection program. I have to believe it was due to his influence that they weren't killed. Faking their deaths accomplished the same result. I was forced to flee for my life. If I'd known that my family was still alive I'm not sure I would have turned to a life of crime."

"Was it your saving me that caused the whole thing with your family to happen? I can't help but feel that your life being ruined was all my fault," she said miserably.

"If my saving your life was the reason the Cabal took the actions they did, it would still not be your fault. You were a young child. It was your parents that created the Fulcrum from the data they managed to gather or steal. Your father planted the Fulcrum in your toy and pounded it into your head that you should keep it with you always. The people to blame for what happened to my family are your parents and the Cabal. And, to be completely honest I bear some responsibility as well. I refused to toe the line my father laid out for me. The line between serving my country as a naval officer and serving the Cabal as my father's son. I refused the Cabal. They didn't trust me any longer and I knew too much to be allowed to go free. The only reason I survived their plan on Christmas Eve was because my car ran out of gas. It was one of those variables that can never be accounted for no matter how carefully you plan."

"There was no mention of your mother in your file. Where was she through all of this?"

Red didn't answer her immediately. He hadn't thought about his father this much in years. It was even longer since he'd thought about his mother. He poured more wine for each of them before he answered her question.

"I don't have any clear memories of her. My father told me she died in a car crash when I was three. Knowing what I know now about my father's life I wonder if the trust is as simple as a car accident. Her death is one of the reasons I grew up in different boarding schools. My father was on tours of duty around the world and couldn't take me with him. It seemed like a normal life to me since I'd never known anything different."

They were both quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. The moonlight played over the water as they watched the waves roll onto the beach. The sound of the ocean loud in the silence.

"I know you understand how dangerous what we will be attempting is going to be. We've agreed to take the change of our relationship slow. I don't want to go into it all without knowing what it would be like to love you completely. Will you let me do that tonight Lizzie?" Red asked her as he brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss to the scar that so matched his own.

With tears glistening in her eyes Lizzie's answer of "Oh yes Red. I want this night with you." The 'in case something happens' went unspoken by both of them.

Red stood and lead her by their joined hands into their bedroom and closed the door. Symbolically locking out the rest of the world for that night.

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The sun rose way too early for them the next morning. Neither of them got much sleep that night, but they wouldn't exchange a single moment of last night for any amount of sleep.

Sila was sitting on the lanai waiting for them. They threw on some clothes not caring how they looked. They would have plenty of time to shower and dress again on the plane. Putu sent a basket of freshly baked pastries and cookies along with a large thermos of coffee for their boat ride. Lizzie didn't have a chance to meet her during this visit. She promised herself that she would when they made their return visit.

They climbed aboard the waiting jet near noon local time. The flight would take over fourteen hours before they reached the East Coast of the US. Red told Lizzie on the boat that they would be flying into a small airfield in northern New York state. From there they would take a vehicle to Virginia. They would spend that night putting the final touches to their plans. They would also be making their final preparations with the two assault teams. Then the next morning Lizzie would leave with Dembe to meet up with the group tasked with freeing Cooper. About thirty minutes prior to their attack she would text Ressler an address in Fairfax. The meeting time would be the same time as their breach of the NSA black site. Red and Baz's attack on the Director's compound would take place about fifteen minutes later.

"Lizzie why don't you try and get a few hours of sleep. I have some business calls to make that don't have anything to do with Cooper or the Cabal," Red told her once they were airborne.

"What other business? I didn't realize you were still doing other business. Is there something I can help with?" she asked wanting him to understand she was in his life by choice now and that included being involved in his businesses.

"I'm still arranging for whatever my customers need to run their varied enterprises. By staying active I'm hoping to keep the taskforce and the Cabal looking for us far from where we actually are at any given moment," he told her.

She wasn't sure how she felt about his still conducting business with people who might have made it on to his Blacklist if their lived hadn't imploded such a short time ago.

"If we make it through this week we will need the income and contacts my business provides. By removing the Director we are only cutting off the head of the Cabal. They can always grow another one. Until we weaken the entire Cabal sufficiently so it just collapses for good, we have a long fight ahead of us still," he explained tiredly.

"I understand. I think I will try and get some sleep. Will you be doing the same? You need more sleep too?" she said hoping she would be able to fall asleep in his arms once again. It was surprising to her how safe she felt with his arms around her.

Red gave her a loving smile. As much as he would love to lay down with her for a few hours he knew he didn't have the time to spare.

"I'll be busy for most of the flight. I give you permission to order me to be early tonight . . . to sleep," he clarified.

She nodded before entering the small bedroom in the tail of the plane.

BLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBL

Red did manage a few hours of sleep on the couch in the cabin before the plane landed. The plane was met by a flower delivery van. The thought was who would expect them to drive back into the DC area in such a vehicle.

The security around DC has slackened during their time away. The police presence was still stronger than normal, but all the road blocks were gone. The general belief was that the two of them manage to escape before the roadblocks were put into place.

The van drove them through DC and into Virginia without incident. Their ultimate destination was Fairfax. The plan was to text Ressler the address to this safe house the next morning. They would leave evidence of their presence to sell the deception even more.

They reached the estate shortly after three in the afternoon. They were met by Dembe, Kate and Baz. There was a discrete security force guarding the grounds to make sure no unexpected guests arrived.

"Are the teams ready?" he asked them as soon as he exited the van.

"Yes. They are in the guest cottages finishing up their preparations for tomorrow," Dembe answered.

Red lead the way into the house. They all took seats in the large living room. A variety of food, snacks and drinks were on a table in the corner of the room. Lizzie grabbed a sandwich for each of them before joining the group again.

"Here. We haven't eaten since the plane," she said handing Red his sandwich. He took if before giving her a slight smile in thanks.

"I've reviewed your plans and the blueprints you sent with the plane. I agree that a full out assault is our only choice in getting to Cooper. Once we are inside the facility our inside man can tell you where Cooper is being held, but he can't help getting us inside. If we can accomplish the breach of their defenses fast enough they may not have time to kill him before we reach his cell. But, on the other side we need to take long enough for them to get reinforced by the Director's personal security force from his nearby estate," Red paused long enough to gulp down the glass of ice tea Lizzie brought over with the food.

Lizzie sat quietly while Red gave his thoughts on their plan. The need to bleed off men from the Director's estate was necessary for a quiet take over. They couldn't afford the man enough warning to get to the helicopter he kept at the ready on a pad behind the house. Should he manage to get away there would be air cover provided by some very dangerous friends of Red's that owed him a favor or ten to force him to land.

"Lizzie you and Dembe will be in charge of rescuing Cooper. If at any time you decide you need to accelerate the plan, do it! Ultimately the most important thing is that you and Cooper get out safely. If we can't get the Director tomorrow, we will get him at another time. Once you are clear call Kate and she will get word to me. Don't take any unnecessary risks," he told her staring her straight in the eyes.

She knew what it was costing him to let her take part in this action. Just as she would wish him far away from danger, she knew he wished the same for her.

"We won't . . . I won't, don't worry," she assured him quietly.

They moved on to the plan to deal with the Director. If Lizzie's group managed to hold off long enough to pull some of the forces from the estate, they should be down to a force of about fifteen men. He had twenty men on his team. If the plan failed to weaken the Director's security, Red and his team would be outnumbered by at least ten highly trained men.

The plan was simple. Red's team would slip over the fence at different intervals after disabling the current flowing through the barbed wire at the top of the brick wall. The would eliminate as many of the perimeter guards as quietly as possible before opening the gate for Red. From that point it becomes a matter of locating the Director and getting him out of there before anyone notices anything amiss.

The original plan was to just kill him and get out. That will still be what they do if they can't get him off the estate. Tomorrow morning will either end with the Director as their prisoner or dead. There was also the possibility of Red ending the morning as the Director's prisoner or dead.

By the time the meeting broke off it was nearly midnight and both Red and Lizzie were struggling to keep their eyes open. So much for Lizzie ordering him to bed early. They found their suite and barely managed to undress before collapsing on the bed. He held her close as she used his should as a pillow. Taking comfort from having the other so close, they slipped off to sleep, 5:00 a.m. would come early.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I have nothing new to say. Does anyone really believe I'm making money from my stories? Honestly?

A/N There will be one more chapter to tie up the remaining plot points. I hope to get it written before the season 3 premiere. Thank God this long, long, long hiatus is almost over!

A/N 2: I'm not sure what happened when I posted this chapter originally. All I can think of is it was too long. I've broken it into two chapters and I'll see if that takes care of the issue.

The next morning the group gathered for any last minute instructions. The two teams were outside loading their equipment into the unmarked vans that would deliver them to their separate destinations.

"Lizzie it will take about twenty minutes to get to the black site. We will leave right after your team. I want you to text Ressler when you get to the site. By the time he gets here we should have Cooper and the Director." Red reminded her where they stood off to one side to say goodbye privately.

"I remember. Don't worry about me. Dembe will take good care of me. Don't think you've fooled me by sending him with me. I know that his orders to protect me take precedence over the objective of freeing Cooper. You be safe and come back to me Red. You aren't expendable either," she said being careful to not promise that she would let Dembe pull her out of the fight.

Red smiled at her tenderly. He knew that Dembe would have to drag her out of the fight kicking and screaming. Baz would have to do the same with him. He pulled her to him and gave her a kiss.

"Goodbye for now. I'll see you at the airport," he told her quietly.

"I love you Red," was her only answer. She wasn't going to say goodbye. That was too final to her.

"I love you too Lizzie."

They stepped over to join their respective teams. Before he climbed into the van his team was already loaded in he turned to speak with Mr. Kaplan.

"Kate if Ressler shows up here alone have your team capture him and get him to the plane. If he brings a team, let him go. We'll deal with him at a later time. No matter how this all ultimately goes down I want you to get out of DC. You can join us at the plane and I'll guarantee you a wonderful vacation someplace warm,' he said with a little laugh.

"I may take you up on that offer. What if Agent Ressler doesn't want to come quietly?" Kate asked in a tone of voice that someone who didn't know her better would call disinterested.

"The only reason I'm not having him dealt with here is Lizzie. She needs to hear what he has to say about all of this. Damage him as little as possible, but get him on that plane if you can," Red told her before turning and climbing into the van with his men.

Baz gave the command to move out. Once outside the gates Lizzie's team headed left and Red's team turned in the opposite direction.

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Lizzie sat in the back of the lead van. No matter how many raids she'd been a part of with the FBI she always had butterflies. If she'd been an actor it would have been called stage fright. She knew once the action started she would be fine. She was more afraid for Red's safety than her own. She knew how little value he placed on his own life. It was going to be her mission to get him to realize that there were people who loved and valued him and that he was absolutely worthy of that love.

"Elizabeth, he will be fine. Baz's team will protect him," Dembe assured her.

"I know Dembe. It's just that this is the first time we've been apart since Connolly."

It was still dark when they pulled off the road onto a rutted dirt track. The black site sat only a few hundred feet from the road. A fenced in compound this close to DC wouldn't cause anyone to take a second look. These types of unmarked compounds were common place. The plan was for the three vans to take up stations around each of the sides away from the road.

The men silently donned their combat gear. Lizzie was surprised how alike the team looked to the FBI taskforce when they'd conducted raids on any number of Blacklisters. The only thing missing was the white FBI on their body armor. After they completed an audio check to verify they were in contact with the other two teams, Lizzie pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Ressler. Once she was sure it was delivered she smashed the phone to prevent it being traced.

The group located furthest from the road were tasked with knocking out the power and communications. At Dembe's command small charges were detonated at the power connection leading to the compound, the generators, phone and data lines each received their own small explosion. They didn't need to knock all of this out permanently, just for thirty minutes or so. Keeping the charges small would help keep down the sound of the explosions in the quiet morning air. Anyone inside the compound should now be blind, deaf and dumb. The only means of communication left would be via any cell phones the employees had inside. Their van contained cell phone jamming equipment that would blanket their side of the building. The third van contained the same type of equipment and would cover the remaining portions of the compound.

The chain link fences that surround the complex were quickly cut and their forces flowed inside, ghosts moving without a sound. They were able to take out a handful of guards before the first shots rang out, deafening in the quiet. Then the louder sounds of more explosions ripped through the air as the building's outer doors were blasted open.

The team containing Lizzie and Dembe ran down a hallway lit only by the dim emergency lighting. Any guards that appeared in their way were quickly shot. The guards managed to get a few shots off before they fell. One guard got off a lucky shot that caught one of the team in the side where the body armor was weakest. They continued forward leaving any fallen members behind. Considering how far they'd managed to get into the building their casualties have been very light so far.

At the first sound of shots Red's contact was supposed to retreat into the control room that was used to monitor the cells and corridors. He was to stay there until their group reached him. The control room was ahead and it appeared that most of the remaining guards were making their stand outside of it.

Their three groups were converging on the remaining guards from all sides. The control room was situated along the wall that separated the cells from the interrogation and administrative areas. Due to the early morning hour none of these employees had arrived for work yet. It appeared that their situation was starting to dawn on the guards as they were forced into a tighter group with their backs literally against the wall.

"Cease fire!" yelled Dembe.

The sounds of gunfire died away. The two sides stood with their weapons still pointed at their opponents.

"You are outnumbered. Lay your weapons down," Dembe order the guards.

Lizzie was surprised to hear the normally soft spoken man speaking so loud and authoritatively. This was the man that was once a Sudanese freedom fighter. She could see him as a soldier in these moments. He really was as much a puzzle as his employer.

"There are reinforcements on the way. If you withdraw now you'll be able to escape before they get here. Otherwise, you will all get your own cells here," replied the clean cut Captain America wanna be at the front of the group. He reminded her of Ressler, which after what she's learned about Ressler was not a good thing.

Lizzie and Dembe exchanged glances. They managed to make them call for the reinforcements as Red needed. They looked back to the control room and noticed a sheet of paper taped to the window with a large B19 written on it. They could see a woman peeking around the paper at them. Lizzie gave her a tiny nod and the paper was ripped off the window. Apparently Red's man on the inside was actually a woman. None of the guards had seen the paper giving them Cooper's location.

She backed away and took two men with her as she sneaked away behind their gathered men. Once she reached corridor B they ran down to the steel door with B19 painted on it. She opened up the cover over the food slot and called out quietly, "Cooper are in here?"

"Keen? What are you doing here?" she heard Cooper say from just on the other side of the door.

"We're here to get you out. Now get back from the door," she told him urgently.

"No! They'll go after Charlene . . . "

"They are already safe. Reddington got them out of the country and we are going to get you back to them. Now step away from the door so we can blow the lock."

They heard Cooper move to the other side of the cell. Her men had already set the charge and after they moved to the other side of the hall they set it off. The charge blew out the lock and latch. Cooper pushed the door open and hurriedly joined them in the hall.

He was dressed in dirty dress pants and shirt. They stripped the body armor from one of the guards laying on the floor and gave it to Cooper. Lizzie signaled Dembe that they had Cooper.

Dembe signaled for one of the teams to withdraw down the same corridor that she was positioned in. This team's only focus now was to get Cooper and Lizzie to the airport safely. Dembe and the other two teams would remain behind to cover their escape and await the arrival of the reinforcements. Once they'd lured them into the site they would retreat.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapter.

A/N I thought breaking this into two chapters would be enough. I've had to break this down even more for some reason. The break at the end is abrupt, but it's the only place I could think to break it.

At the same time Lizzie was freeing Cooper, Red's team prepared to breach the Director's estate. They were parked on a side street until they saw the security team race out to help at the black site. Once that happened Red placed a call to his contact at the electric company. Almost as soon as he hung up the power in the entire neighborhood went down. That was the signal for the first team of five men to hop the fence and make their way to the small shack at the back of the estate that housed a generator. Their job was to make sure the generator was kept offline.

A second team of five men trailed the first team over the fence and then breaking off toward the helicopter pad. All of Red's men were armed with automatic weapons and silencers. They also carried automatic rifles that were only to be used if the breach was discovered. Until then surprise was their best weapon. The second teams goal was to disable the helicopter. Once that was accomplished they would hook up with the rest of their team at the rear of the house.

Red waited in the shadow of the outer wall near the entrance to the estate. As soon as the other two teams reported in Red and Baz's team would enter through the front gate. Their team's goal was the front door.

"This is team one. The generator is secure. Two guards down. No loss on our team," Red heard from his ear bud.

Within moments of team one's report he heard, "Team two, helicopter is disabled. Three guards down, one team casualty. We are moving on to the secondary objective now."

Baz motioned for his men to open the gate. One man climbed the gate and pressed the manual gate release on the other side. Once the entire team was inside the gate it was closed almost completely. Anyone driving by would assume it was still closed and locked.

They approached the house at a slow jog, staying on the grass to muffle the sound of their steps. They were half way to the house when a shot broke the silence. In the open air it was difficult to tell where the shot came from and where it was directed. That became very clear as one of the men fell to the ground grabbing his leg. Two of their men returned fire taking out the man with a shot to the chest. Red gave a quick grimace in sympathy, knowing exactly what the man was feeling. That sympathy was short lived. For all he knew this was the man that shot him down in the street like a dog.

After this they sped up and broke into three separate teams when they reached the house. One team went to the right, the second to the left and the final team with Red and Baz went directly towards the front door.

Soon the sounds of gunfire filled the air. The teams surrounding the house met strong resistance as they drew closer and closer to the house itself. Strangely, Red's team had yet to be fired upon. He found it puzzling that no resistance was being waged at the most obvious point of access to the house. He called a halt and took cover next to a low wall.

"Status," he barked into the microphone attached to his body armor.

"Team three, heavy resistance. A large number of targets down. Team has suffered moderate losses. We have fifteen men left. We have converged on the rear door with team two."

And then, "Team two, five targets down. We've only lost one man. We are ready to breach at your command."

Finally, "Team four. Moderate resistance here. We've eliminated all opposition. We lost two men. We will hold here and keep our line of retreat secure."

"Team two and three you are a go. We will take the front door at your signal," he ordered them.

"Baz get your men in position. As soon as you hear them blow the back door, blow the front. Be prepared for them to start shooting. I'm sure they are waiting for us to enter," he said as he prepared to join them in the attack.

Red took a brief moment to pray to a God that he wasn't sure existed that Lizzie and Dembe were safe and on their way to the plane. The sound of the back door being blown open brought him back to the task at hand.

His team had taken up positions on both sides of the door and at his signal the charge on the door was triggered, blowing the doors back into the house.

As he predicted the remaining guards began firing at the forces coming in through the double doors. Red's team abandoned their handguns and started spraying automatic fire into the house's entryway. The sound of matching gunfire could be heard from the back of the house. The sound of the guards screaming out commands was almost drowned out by the sounds of the invading forces. The guards were soon overwhelmed by Red's larger force.

The sounds of gunfire died away as the opposition was eliminated. When Red finally entered the house there were only two guards still standing. The guards stood there in nothing but what they wore to bed the night before. This was exactly what he had hoped for when he planned this dual attack.

"Where is he?" Red barked at the two guards. There was no need to identify who the 'he' was, it could only be one person.

"Go to hell!" was the only response he received. He hadn't expected anything else from them.

"Find him," he told Baz.

Baz directed half of his remaining team to start searching the upper floor, while he directed the team that breached the rear to search the ground floor. He received confirmation that the grounds were secure and the vans had been drawn up out of sight at the back door.

Sporadic shots were heard as a guard in hiding was uncovered during the search. Finally, Red heard, "We've got him."

Moments later a disheveled Director was hustled down the stairs to where Red was standing.

"You're a stupid fool. We'll kill you and anyone who participated here. You'll never get away with this," the Director snarled at Red.

"Get him to the van and gag him. I don't want to have to listen to him," Red ordered his men. They hurriedly fastened his hands behind him and snatched a towel out of the kitchen to use as a gag. Once he was bound and gagged they pushed him through the house to the waiting vans.

Red stared at the two men standing in front of him, still defiant in their attitude. He closed his eyes briefly, only the twitch of his cheek gave away any stress he was feeling.

"Take care of them," he told Baz before heading towards the back. They needed to get out. They had managed to capture the Director in fifteen minutes, but he was sure some neighbor had managed to make a call to the authorities. One of the vans contained cell phone jamming equipment, but it wouldn't cover an area larger that the houses that bordered the estate.

All the remaining team members piled into the vans and they sped out of the gate in the opposite direction that they'd arrived in. As soon as their vans cleared the residential area that surrounded the estate they separated. Each van heading off into a different direction. The van with Red and the Director turned in the direction of the airfield.

Red sat staring silently into the Director's enraged eyes. The hatred he felt for the Director surprised him with its intensity. After all these years he thought it would have diminished at least a little. But, this was the man that caused his life to change so drastically. In 1990 he wasn't the Director of the Cabal or the NSA. Back then he'd been a man he thought he could trust. Instead he was the man that devised the plan to silence him by taking his family away from him. The Director didn't have the weakness of a wife and child that he could exploit. He only cared for himself.

As they headed towards the airport he pulled a cell phone out of one of the bags at their feet. He couldn't wait any longer to see if Lizzie and Dembe were okay.

"Red is this you?" asked Lizzie anxiously.

"Yes. Are you and Dembe alright?" Red asked her just an anxiously.

"I'm fine. I'm already at the plane. Dembe's group had some trouble getting out. He is on his way to the airport now," Lizzie answered him a bit calmer now that she knew he was on his way.

"We need to take off as soon as we get to the plane. He may need to take an alternate route to our destination," he paused briefly. "Make sure the plane is on the tarmac with the engines running. We are five minutes out."

"Ok, see you soon," Lizzie said before hanging up.

He dialed another number quickly.

"Do you have him?" he asked abruptly.

"We do. He arrived alone. We are pulling into the airport now. How close are you?" Kate asked him.

"We are a couple of minutes out yet. Wait to follow us in. I don't want you to have to explain him being there to Lizzie. I'll deal with it all once we are in the air. We are turning in now," he said flipping his phone closed.

Their van sped around the row of hangars and raced towards the waiting jet. They were followed by what he assumed was Kate's van.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Still don't own. Still broke.

Both vans slammed to a stop at the base of the stairs leading up into the plane. Red gestured for his men to get the Director. He put up a fight, but he was no match for Baz's men. Following close behind was Ressler being lead by another of their team. He climbed aboard without any resistance. As Baz, Kate and Red started aboard, another van barreled up to a stop next to the first van.

Red stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to see Dembe slide out of the passenger seat. He started limping slowly towards the stairs. Red hurriedly moved down to help him up into the cabin. Kate moved over from her seat to take a look at the wound after Red helped Dembe sit down on the couch.

The men who helped load the two prisoners onto the plane clambered back down the boarding ramp and pulled it away so the plane could take off. Then they climbed back into the vans and sped off as Baz closed the plane door. He yelled to the pilots to take off. Everyone not already restrained quickly sat and buckled themselves in. No one relaxed or spoke until the pilot announced that they were out of US airspace.

"Harold I hope they didn't treat you too badly," Red said to Cooper who was seated across the aisle.

"It could have been worse. Thank you Red and you also Lizzie for getting me out of there. I'm so grateful that you got Charlene and the kids somewhere safe. I owe you more than I could possibly repay," said Cooper almost in tears.

"We'll see about that, but I'm grateful for what you did for Lizzie. If you don't want to help fight the Cabal any longer I will certainly understand and I assure you that no one will ever find you or your family."

"Give me a few days with my family to recover and ask me that again," Cooper said with a tired smile.

Red moved over to sit next to Lizzie near the front of the cabin. Their normal seats on the couch were taken by Dembe. Kaplan ordered him to lay down with his leg elevated on the arm of the couch. He had been lucky that the bullet went through the fleshy part of his thight and it missed any major arteries.

"How are you doing?" he asked her gently.

"I won't lie. I was nervous being separated from you. I knew Dembe would do everything he could to keep me safe, but he's not you. Promise me we won't separate again," she said grabbing hold of his hands desperately.

He held onto her just as desperately before responding.

"I can't guarantee what will happen in the future. I will promise to do my best to keep us together. I hated not being beside you when you were in danger."

She leaned into him asking silently to be held. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and simply basked in the joy of having her in his arms once again.

Eventually she eased back and wiped at her damp eyes. "What is Ressler doing here? I thought we just wanted him out of the way during the raids."

"We couldn't leave him in charge of the task force. For one thing Reven would have been in danger if he'd found out that she knew he was a part of the Cabal. The rest of the team and support personnel have been checked even more thoroughly than our original background check. All are exactly what they appear to be, FBI agents attempting to catch #4 and #5 on the most wanted list. What happens to him now depends on him and to a certain extent you. I'll give him a chance to go live a quiet life in some country far away. But, if I feel that he will present any danger to you in the future; he won't get that chance."

She didn't even consider arguing with him about this, as she would feel the same way if he threatened Red in any way.

"Let's get this out of the way," Red said as he stood and lead her by the hand to where Ressler was sitting silent near the rear of the cabin.

"Ressler," Lizzie said in greeting.

"Keen," he responded quietly.

"Donald you disappoint me. I had high hopes that the task force could be trusted. You were the last person I thought could be bought off. What exactly did they offer you?" asked Red.

"Sorry to be a disappointment Reddington. Now you know how your father felt about you," he said trying to get a rise out of Red.

Red gave a quiet chuckle.

"You'll have to try harder to make me angry. I made my peace with what my father was and what my actions cost him many years ago. I want to know about you. What would make a boy scout like you turn against your government and country?"

Ressler looked away from him and towards Lizzie.

"Has he told you everything you want to know about your past? Join with us and I promise you that you'll have the answers you seek," he said to her.

She turned to look at Red.

"I think I've heard all I need to hear, do whatever you want to with him. Goodbye Don."

She moved back towards the front of the cabin. It seemed like everyone who wanted something from her was dangling the answers to her past. She didn't understand why they were all trying to lure her away from Red. It may have worked in the past, but now she trusted him to reveal those answers when it was safe for him to do so.

"You've brain washed her! You are going to get her killed. You know that right?" Ressler said not sure if he was trying to anger him enough to kill him outright or not. He really did care for Lizzie, enough to have gone against direct orders from Connolly to keep her at the Post Office.

"She's made her choice. Nothing and no one will harm her as long as I can prevent it. I hope you will cooperate and answer my questions regarding the Cabal. I'm not sure that I can trust your answers at this point. My associate will let me know if any answers you give me are believable."

Red glanced to the man seated in the row in front of Ressler. He had to fight the urge to grin at the sight of the Director still gagged and obviously fuming. If looks could kill Red would be dead in his tracks.

"Donald if you answer the questions put to you by my interrogator and convince him they are truthful; you may still come out of this alive. That's an offer I'm not making to the Director here. He's facing some long painful days or weeks of questioning and at the end I will collect on the debt he owes me for what he did to my family. All debts come due eventually. I suggest Donald you decide if the Cabal is worthy of your loyalty. I assure you they would not be loyal to you."

Red left him to think about that and walked back towards the front of the cabin. He stopped next to Dembe to make sure he was comfortable.

"Thank you my friend for keeping her safe for me," he said to Dembe from where he knelt next to the couch.

Dembe gave him a sleepy grin in response. The pain medicine was obviously affecting him. Red patted his shoulder before moving on to where Lizzie was sitting with Kate.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink?" he asked leaning over the back of their seats.

"Why don't you sit down somewhere and relax?" asked Lizzie looking up at him.

"He's too hyped up to sit still right now. He always gets this way. Give him thirty minutes and he'll be asleep in a seat somewhere," Kate told her. "While you are still working off the adrenaline I'll take a glass of scotch."

"Anything for you Lizzie?" he asked her again.

"Sure, a bottle of water would be good," she answered with a smile. He returned her smile before heading to the galley at the rear of the cabin.

He returned shortly with their drinks and he finally took a seat across the aisle from them; sipping at his own tumbler of scotch.

"Before you fall asleep on us, what do you want us to do with gagged boy back there?" asked Kate.

Glancing back towards the Director whose eyes had never left him, he said "I want you to leave him exactly where and how he is right now. The flight isn't going to be that long. He'll be fine until we land."

"The least you could have done was grab him some clothes. He's as hairy as an ape and has chicken legs. Not at all attractive, even if I swung that way," she said with a shudder.

He rose and pulled a small blanket out of a cabinet along the bulkhead.

"You are grossing out the ladies," he said as he tossed a blanket over him. "Enjoy the rest of the flight."

He was pretty sure whatever the Director was trying to say to him through the gag was not 'Thank you'.

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Their plane landed in Panama later that day and was met by two black SUVs with blacked out windows made of bullet proof glass. Baz took Ressler and Cooper in one of them while Red took the Director with him. They forced the Director into the rear seat and belted him in. With his hands still fastened behind him he wouldn't be able to cause them any problems from back there. They let Dembe have the front passenger seat where he'd have more room for his injured leg. Red, Lizzie and Kate slid into the middle seat for the short drive to the compound where they would be staying during the interrogations. Their driver pulled out behind the first SUV and headed west.

They stopped at the wide wrought iron gate located at the end of a long dirt track and waited for it to open once the driver in Baz's SUV triggered the gate to swing inwards. Lizzie glanced at the thick clay block fence that stretched as far as she could see to the east. The fence to the west ended abruptly at the edge of the cliff.

She wondered if Red traveled the world looking for beach houses with amazing ocean views. This house sat on a cliff over looking brilliant blue water and was of a decidedly Spanish architecture. The adobe walls were painted a sparkling white that contrasted well with the red tile roof. There was a wide porch with many comfortable wicker chairs with thick bright cushions at the front of the house. There were a number of smaller structures scattered behind the main house. A few of the structures appeared to be smaller cottages. She saw what looked like a small red barn with a couple of paddocks next to it.

The SUVs pulled around a large fountain of leaping dolphins spraying water. The water looked like diamonds sparkling in the sunshine. Baz continued past the house and drove back towards one of the smaller buildings near the barn. It was tiny, the only window were small narrow ones near the roof. Her guess was that this is where the Director and Ressler would be kept.

They stopped near the main house. Red gave Dembe a shoulder to lean on as they climbed the couple of steps that lead up to the porch. The door to the house opened into a cool entryway that was tiled in reddish brown ceramic tile. To one side of the entryway was a sunken living room decorated in heavy wooden furniture. A door opposite the living room lead to a modern office. She was surprised to see a computer and printer on the desk. She couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Red use a computer before. Past the living room was a staircase leading to a second floor.

"I'm impressed. Is this your house or are you borrowing it from a friend?" asked Lizzie from where she stood in the entryway.

"It belongs to a friend," answered Red with the air of someone with a secret.

"It all belongs to me," said Dembe from the living room. He was again laying down with his leg elevated.

Lizzie was surprised. She never thought of Dembe actually owning a home of his own. She realized there was a lot she didn't know about him.

Just as she was going to ask Red if he knew which room would be theirs, the front door opened. In walked a man she'd seen Red use before when he wanted information from someone. Brimley shuffled in pulling his oxygen tank behind him.

"Which one of them do you want me to start with?" he asked Red without a word of greeting.

"I want you to start with the Director. But, I want to be there with you when you start. Head over there and I'll meet you in a few minutes. Do you have everything you need?" asked Red.

"I have everything I need if I don't have to get too creative. How tough a nut do you think he'll be?"

"I think he'll be better able to resist psychological torture than the physical. He's been in control too long and has had an easy life for the past twenty or so years. You won't be able to trick him into answering our questions. Cause him pain long enough he'll crack. That'll be bad for him and anyone he has intel on. I don't care if we cause him permanent damage. He's not walking out of here no matter how much information he gives me about the others in the Cabal," Red told him.

Brimley simply nodded before he walked back out the door. Lizzie saw him slowly walking towards the back of the house and the barn beyond. She thought she should feel some remorse for what Red planned on doing to the Director, but she couldn't find it in her. She did wonder just what exactly is his real name.

"Don't think poorly about me, but I don't have any desire to take part in what you've planned. I understand we need the information and he's the best person to provide it. I just don't want to be there," she told him.

He walked over to her and took her hand in his. He gave it a little squeeze before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

"I understand and I'd never think badly of you for how you feel. I'll be back shortly," he said giving her hand another squeeze before letting go.

She watched him through the office windows as he followed in Brimley's direction. This was going to be hard on him. She knew he thought he'd get a certain amount of pleasure in watching the Director suffer. But, she knew that wouldn't be the case. Red could kill someone in punishment for crossing him, he just couldn't watch someone suffer.

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Red stepped into the barn. The Director was already seated in heavy wooden chair with restraints holding his arms against the arms of the chair and his ankles were tightly fastened to the chair legs. Brimley had removed the gag and he'd given him some thing to drink since the gag had sucked all the moisture from his mouth. Tables covered in scary looking instruments were scattered around the chair.

"You can make this easy on yourself by answering his questions. You know you won't be leaving here. You can either have a short pain free stay followed by a quick painless death. Or, you can suffer for days or weeks before you finally break and we get our answers anyway. What do you choose?" asked Red standing stiffly in front of the chair.

"Go to hell! I'm not telling you anything," was his response.

Red sighed. Now that he had him Red found that he didn't want to deal with him. He'd leave him to Brimley while he spent time with Lizzie. There were great snorkeling sites at the base of the cliff. That was how he wanted to spend his time, not watching his greatest enemy being taken apart. He would be the man that put a bullet in the Director's head and that would be his revenge for Carla and Jennifer.

"He's all yours. Let me know when you get the answers we need. Anything you need will be brought to you. Do what you need to do to get everything as quickly as possible," Red told him.

Brimley didn't say anything. He knew from experience that watching someone being tortured was not something many people could watch. Red seldom sat in on his sessions.

"The other man may have information about the Cabal's plan for using the FBI to track Elizabeth and myself down. Get what you can. Let me know when you've gotten everything you can out of him. It shouldn't take very long to break him down," he told him.

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The next day Red had Cooper driven back to the airfield where his plane sat refueled and ready to take him to the Dominican Republic. Charlene and the kids were waiting for him there. He promised to contact Red in a few days to tell him whether he was going to help them fight the Cabal or stay with Charlene somewhere safe for the rest of their lives.

Red and Lizzie spent the next few days exploring the beach and the jungle that surrounded the estate. Their first night found them making love almost desperately. They'd gone into the raids not knowing if they would ever see each other again. As they came down from the high of their orgasms they clung to each other. If it was possible he would never let her go.

They avoided the area around the barn. The sounds of screams and pleading drove them away. They knew what was happening in there was necessary, but Lizzie wondered if she was going to break before Ressler and the Director. She knew if she broke down and asked Red to stop the torture he would do it, for her.

The fifth day at the estate dawned cold and windy. A storm was coming in and it looked to be a day they'd be spending indoors. Dembe had recovered enough that he could walk almost normally. As they were in the kitchen discussing what to do that day, Brimley walked in the door that lead from the kitchen to the large deck on the side of the house facing the cliffs.

"Do you have something for me?" asked Red. He wasn't surprised to see him. It surprised him that it took this long for one of them to break.

Brimley poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table before he practically collapsed into a chair. After taking a sip he said, "The fed was a tough cookie, but I believe what he's told me is the truth. He's the only one on the task force on the Cabal's payroll. There are some at FBI headquarters. One of the HRT teams is completely theirs. That is who he called when you were shot. He called in your location to them at the Director's orders. He's given me all their names and anything he knows about them that will help us track them down. I've gotten everything from him that I can," said Brimley before taking another big slug of coffee.

"The other one has been singing like a bird. We have pages of names, locations, what their responsibilities are and where they rank in the Cabal hierarchy. This group is a lot bigger than we ever thought. We are going to need an army of assassins to get them all. I'll get everything documented out and over to you this afternoon. If you don't need anything else from them I need to get back to New York. Bernice is nagging me to come home," he told Red before dragging himself to his feet with a groan. He left the house again dragging his ever present tank of oxygen behind him.

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As promised Brimley gave them pages of information from his interrogations. Red spent the rest of the night reviewing everything and asking Brimley the occasional question to clarify something. It was early the next morning before he was satisfied that there was nothing else to learn from either Ressler or the Director. Red thanked Brimley for his services and asked Dembe to drive him to the local airfield he could catch a small plane to one of the larger cities. From their he could take a commercial flight back to New York.

Lizzie woke to find Red's side of the bed cold and unslept in. She decided to shower and dress before tracking down her wayward lover. Today was going to be a day of tough decisions. She knew Red wasn't going to let the Director live. As much as she knew that Ressler was not the man she thought he was, she still found it hard to accept that he may not walk away from this.

She found Red sitting out on the deck looking at the ocean that stretch to the limits of her vision. She dragged her fingers across his shoulder as she walked around his chair and sat in his lap laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her back and held her to him, enjoying the heat of her body that seeped through his thin shirt.

"Good morning," he told her.

"Mmm, morning. I missed you last night. Did you get everything settled with Brimley?" she asked from where her head was tucked into the crook of his neck.

"Yes, we are done here. We just need to decide what to do with Ressler. From what Ressler told Brimley the Cabal has infiltrated the FBI in all levels. The corruption starts near the top positions and flows all the way to the lowliest newbie agent. He's given us everyone that he knows is a part of the organization. Brimley feels that Ressler is no threat to you," he told her.

"What about you? Will he go somewhere where he won't be able to strike against you?" she asked pulling away from him until she could look him in the eye.

"I don't know. That is something I need to determine when I talk to him today. Did you want to ask him anything?"

She felt like she should ask him something, but she felt betrayed. He knew how she'd felt after learning about Tom's lies and deceptions. He'd comforted her then and now it was his betrayals that once again made her feel like the worst profiler ever!

"No, I'll leave that to you. I trust you to make the right decision for both of us. Will we be leaving today?" she asked him.

He reached up and cradled her face in his palms. He pulled her face down until he could place a kiss on her lips. He swept his thumbs over her cheeks as he continued to kiss her. He slowly pulled away and gazed into her eyes. Her faith in him was still amazing to him.

"Go pack anything you want to take with us. Dembe is arranging for the plane to be ready in the next two hours. My bag is already packed and in the entryway. I'll be back soon," he told her as he eased her on to her feet. He stood up without taking his hands from where they rested on her hips. They stood there looking at each other without speaking. There was nothing more to say. There was just one more item to take care of before they could head somewhere safe to plan the biggest overthrow of an illegal organization than the world has ever known. After another tender kiss to her lips he stepped away towards the small shack next to the barn.

Red opened the door to the shack to find the interior in darkness. He reached for the switch on the wall next to the door and flipped on the lights. The sight of the two figures inside would have been shocking if he hadn't been prepared. Ressler looked like he'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. The idiot couldn't just give in. He had to prove he could handle anything Red threw at him. What he wasn't prepared for was the injections of oxy. By day five he would answer any questions as long as he was promised his next injection. He was defeated by his own addiction. He'd gone all night without his next fix. He looked like shit.

The Director on the other hand looked worse. He'd also been beat, just not as severely. Brimley had moved on to breaking fingers and when that didn't bring the answers fast enough he started amputating fingers, a joint at a time. The cocky man that told him to "Go to hell" was gone.

"Well, Mr. Director, or should I just call you John now? Do you have anything you want to tell me before we finish this?" he asked him quietly.

"What do you want me to say Ray? You knew what you were doing when you kept that girl alive and stole the Fulcrum at the same time. Did you think they wouldn't do something to punish you just because of who your father was? Whatever happened was because of your choice. Don't blame me. I wasn't in charge of anything. I just came up with the plan to snatch them and make it look like they were murdered. Alan put them in Witness Protection. Your family is still alive, so killing me won't make us even. But, I know that's not going to stop you. You really are nothing but a thug," he said not pulling his punches. He had nothing to lose.

"You and your Cabal has racked up quite a bill with me. You've sent people to kill me and my associates. Due to your group I've lost two of the people closest to me. One was killed during the incursion of the FBI's black site by Anslo Garrick. Luli never did anything that would have justified a bullet to the head. Then you forced me to kill Newton because he'd betrayed me and I couldn't trust him not to do it again if you threaten his family once more. There is a long bloody list of the dead that need to be avenged. And, just so you know, it is personal. You ordered a hit on me and I ended up with a bullet in my chest. Don't pretend you don't deserve this," he told him finally letting himself feel the rage he'd been suppressing for so long.

He pulled a gun from the holster at the small of his back. He pointed it at his head with a steady hand.

"Ray wait! I'll do anything you want! Please don't do this,' the Director begged desperately.

Without another word Red pulled the trigger and put a bullet between his eyes. He stood for a moment looking at one of the men he hated the most in the world. He finally paid for everything he'd done to so many innocents. Then without warning he unloaded the clip into the Director's chest.

"Now Donald, what am I going to do with you?" he asked Ressler.

Ressler didn't make a sound in response.

"No, seriously. What do I do with you? Are you going to do anything to harm Elizabeth if I let you go?"

Ressler just looked at him. He was almost too tired to talk. He didn't know where his loyalties lay anymore. It was so clear when they recruited him right out of the Academy. But now after working with the team to capture or kill some of the worst criminals he'd ever seen, he was no longer sure the Cabal was what was best for the world. It sounded good in principal, but the execution proved tragically flawed.

"I'll never do anything to hurt Keen. If I was going to hurt her I would never have let her go when she was trying to escape the Post Office. I never realized how big this Cabal actually was until I heard him telling your man everything. They didn't care about protecting and guiding all different countries and their governments. All they cared about was the power they could gather for themselves," said Ressler.

It took being kidnapped and tortured to finally open his eyes to the truth about what he did in the name of the common good. He had a lot of blood on his own hands. Who was he to judge anyone else?

"What will you do if set you free? I can never allow you to go back to the FBI. Nor can I ever let you have any contact with the task force or Elizabeth. The easiest option for me is to shoot you just like I did him," he said with a jerk of his head towards the dead man.

"If you set me free I'll disappear. Neither you or Elizabeth will ever see me again," he said quickly.

Red turned to place the now empty gun on a small table near the door. He wouldn't kill Ressler. He believed him when he promised to leave them alone. Despite his belief in him, he wouldn't let him go completely free. He planned on Ressler being tied up with the Panamanian State Policia for a very long time.

"I'm not going to kill you. If I ever see you anywhere near Elizabeth or myself, I will kill you, " he said before he turned back to the door. He stopped with a hand on the doorknob, "What exactly did they offer you to get you to join them?"

"They convinced me that the government was out of control. Too many special interests that were able to convince our leaders to do what they wanted and not what was best for the people. I confess to wearing blinders up until the time you made the deal with the FBI. You shoved my face into things I'd been too afraid to admit were caused by the Cabal, either directly or indirectly. I was too honest to be bought off for money, they pandered to my pride instead and I never realized until it was too late that my pride was my greatest weakness and they knew it," Ressler confessed in a broken voice.

"I'll have someone come and release you once we've gone," Red told him over his shoulder as he walked out the door. Ressler heard the sound of the door being locked again. He wondered if Red was just going to send in one of his men to kill him. He was having a hard time believing that Red would overlook his betrayal and let him go.

Red was quiet when he returned to the house where Lizzie sat waiting for him on the porch. Her suitcase and his bag sat on the floor next to her. He took a seat next to her and stared mindlessly into the distance. She knew after everything that they'd been through to just leave him alone to deal with what he'd just done. She reached over and laid her soft hand on top of his hand on the arm of the chair. She didn't say a word. She just wanted to make sure he knew she was there if he needed her.

It was a few minutes later that she saw a short older man come through the gate and rode his horse up to where they were seated. She looked at Red in confusion, but he didn't seem concerned by the man's arrival. The man dismounted and came towards them on foot. Red stood and greeted the man with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"My friend Manuel. It's good to see you again. You've done a great job keeping this place from being overrun by the jungle again. Thank you for that," he said.

"It is my pleasure. It's been way too long since your last visit with us here. Dembe called me and said you had a job for me. What can I do for you my friend?"

"Manuel we are going to be leaving as soon as Dembe returns with the car. There has been a small incident and I need you to contact the police to report that a murder has been committed. I want you to show the police to the building next to the barn with the padlock on the door. Tell them that you discovered them here when you came to check on the property. There is a man alive in there tied to a chair. Next to him is the dead body of the man he killed. Before the police get here I want you to go down there and untie him. You'll need to take a gun with you to keep him from escaping. Then lock the door again until you open it for the police. The murder weapon is on the shelf next to the door. Make sure the police discover it. I want the man to be arrested for the murder. Do you understand?" said Red.

This wasn't the first time that Red asked him to take care of an inconvenient corpse. It was however the first time he wanted to frame someone arrested for the crime. The police in Panama weren't hindered by criminal rights and the wheels of justice turned at the speed of light. This poor slob whoever he is will find himself in a prison cell for the rest of his life.

"I understand Senor Red. I'll take care of it," answered Manuel.

Liz was confused. It sounded like he'd left one of them alive. She knew it couldn't be the Director, but it sounded like Red was setting Ressler up for the murder. Lizzie didn't know very much about the prisons here. She suspected that he would end up wishing Red had simply killed him too.

In the distance she could see Dembe pulling through the gate in a duplicate of Red's usual Mercedes sedan. The car slowly approached them, the sound of gravel crunching under the wheels was loud in the silence that had fallen over the group.

Red reached out and shook Manuel's hand in farewell before reaching out to lead Lizzie to the car. Dembe had already opened the back door for them. Red handed off their bags to him to load into the trunk along with his bag that was already there. He helped her into the car before sliding in after her.

As Dembe pulled away from the house Lizzie turned to Red and asked, "Where are we going from here?"

Looking back at her he said, "We have a long list of names that belong to the Cabal. They are famous, rich and powerful people that need to be taken down. They have managed to recruit the man who sits right behind the most powerful man in the world. I'm not sure why they haven't had the President assassinated so the vice president could become President. I suspect the Director didn't trust him to not turn on the Cabal and expose them for what they are, parasites feeding on the common people. We aren't going to be able to relax on our island until we destroy the Cabal for good. Are you with me?" he asked hoping that she would agree to fight at his side.

"Of course I'm with you Ray. There is nowhere else I ever want to be," she said leaning against his side and pressing her lips against the soft skin of his neck.

He almost gasped out loud at the sound of his name on her lips. This was only the second or third time she'd ever called him by his name and not his nickname. Every time it's been enough to make him want to weep. He hasn't felt like Ray in so many years. She was bringing out the long lost man that he used to be. There were some rocky times ahead of them. How could there not be seeing who they were hunting. He would keep the promise that he made to her. He would do everything in his power to keep her at his side and safe. They would always be stronger together.


End file.
